Charmed Redemption
by Hawklan
Summary: Xander's decision to wait for the first rays of the morning sun after being turned opens up a whole new world that he never knew existed. Sequel to my oneshot "Dawn"
1. Chapter 1

Charmed Redemption

By Razial and Hawklan

Disclaimer: We don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of its related characters or connected media, they belong to Joss Whedon and whoever else has the rights. We also don't own any of the Charmed characters or its related media, they belong to Constance M. Burge and WB TV network.

Pairing: Xander/Tara Piper/Leo

Notes: This story is a sequel to Hawklan's short story The Dawn and will show what happened to Xander after his sunbath. This will start somewhere during season 3 of Charmed and then jump to season 4 of Buffy. There will be a few tweaks to certain characters back story and personalities, but nothing too big, except for Tara who will not be a lesbian in this story.

Summary: Xander's decision to wait for the first rays of the morning sun after being turned opens up a whole new world that he never knew existed.

Chapter 1

For a while the only thing Xander felt was a lot of pain, but he didn't regret his decision at all. He threw one last glance at his best friend Willow and then the pain was gone, and there was only blackness for a moment until it was replaced with pure white. Blinking rapidly he looked around confused as to why he still felt anything, finally managing to adjust to the bright light he found himself surrounded by a ring of people all of whom were wearing long white cloaks. He was even more confused than before. 'Shouldn't I be dead now?' he thought to himself.

"Welcome Alexander," one of the people out of the circle said in greeting as he stepped forward. "I'm sure you are quite confused and uncertain right now, believe me we mean you no harm," he told him.

"Where am I?" Xander inquired as he looked around trying to work out what was going on, but he could see nothing but a bright light.

"I suppose you could call this place a middle ground between life and death," the man responded with a slight smile. "Only a few are ever brought before us, people who serve life beyond reason are of interest to us," he stated.

"You took up the fight against the darkness to avenge the loss of your friend Jesse McNally, but the thirst for revenge lessened as you began to understand how important the fight against the darkness was," another of the circle told him and this time he noted the person was a woman. "You did everything you could to aid the Slayer in her tasks, you even managed to defy prophecy and bring her back from the dead which in of itself is an impressing feat," she continued. "You also were the one to see how it was possible to destroy the Judge, a monster so powerful that the last time it ran amok it took an army and a Slayer to stop him and it cost nearly every last one of their lives," she went on as Xander listened still trying to work out what they wanted from him. "Yet this time he was stopped with little loss of life, because you managed to see what the others had missed," she said.

"Your other feats in the war are equally impressive and even your errors were not in vain. The love spell disaster made you aware of the dangers of magic in all of its forms, did it not?" the man inquired.

"Yeah it did," Xander replied wincing as he recalled that event. "Not exactly my brightest moment, but I saw how dangerous magic could be in the wrong hands," he admitted. "I should have known better after seeing what Catherine Madison did to her own daughter, but when in pain and filled with anger you never see clearly," he said with a sigh.

"Very true, now I'm sure you wonder what we want with you, do you not?" the man asked to which Xander nodded. "We are the Elders, we lead the Whitelighters in their tasks to guard and guide natural born witches," he explained. "It is a hard task to keep one on the right path where magic is concerned and thus the role of Whitelighter is not offered to many. Only to those who serve life with no thought of reward," he went on. "You never wanted to be rewarded for your help, in fact you've gone out of your way to keep some of your actions secret from your friends, such as standing your ground against Angelus with no weapons or hope of survival," he continued.

"I did what was nessacary to protect Buffy," was all Xander could say in response as he began to get an idea what was about to happen and he had no idea how to respond.

"You have a protective spirit Alexander and we believe you would make an excellent Whitelighter. We would like to offer you the choice to join us," the woman stated, stunning Xander with this offer.

Xander could barely believe this was happening to him, why would they want him to try and help teach someone how to safely use magic. "But I don't know much about magic?" he protested.

"Many of our recruits start of like this, some of them do not even know the truth of the world around them," a third member of the circle stated and Xander saw he was another male. "But the defining thing in each is their willingness to sacrifice themselves for another. You chose to kill yourself the moment you realised you had been turned," he pressed onwards. "The only thing you wished for before you did so was to see you friend Willow Rosenberg one last time. You explained why you were doing what you were doing and even turned down the offer of the soul curse," he went on. "You knew the dangers of that particular curse and didn't want to take the risk it could be broken and that you may end up killing your friends due to a mistake of passion," he pointed out. "I believe you would be an asset to our cause, once you are trained of course," he stated confidently and each of the people in the circle nodded in agreement with him.

"So will you join us?" the woman inquired. "Will you continue to serve life, help protect those whose job it is to hold back the darkness?" she asked.

"I will," Xander answered without hesitation, even if he was unsure if he was cut out for this job. But he still wanted to help people, especially those, who like Buffy and the gang, fought the fight against the vampires and demons.

None of the circle said anything, but they each took hold of the others hands. The brightness around them all blinded Xander as he felt something wash over him. Whatever it was put him into a calm and relaxed posture, he surrendered to it whole heartedly. When he opened his eyes again he felt very much alive and yet vastly different than he had been before. He felt calmer and more focused than he could ever remember. He also felt the power he had now been entrusted with. It was an amazing feeling and yet he was still unsure they had chosen correctly.

"This is Leo Wyatt, one of our best and brightest Whitelighters and he will be your teacher in our ways," the male who had spoken first told him. "He will instruct you in how to be a Whitelighter and how to use the power we have gifted you and most importantly the rules that now bind you," he added before the circle vanished in a flash of light.

"Nice to meet you Alexander," Leo said as he held his hand out to his newest student and colleague.

"Please my name is Xander," Xander responded as he shook Leo's hand. The older male nodded in understanding. "So what now?" he asked.

"Now... we begin your training young Padawan," Leo answered with a smirk Xander wasn't too sure off he liked.

+CR+

(Halliwell Mansion, two years later)

Xander orbed into the mansion that had been almost like a second home to him, he had spent a lot of time here since Leo had been assigned as the Whitelighter of the Halliwell sisters, otherwise known as the fabled Charmed Ones. The Charmed Ones were the most powerful white witches to ever exist; their powers combined were enough for them to even go up against the Source himself. Every time he thought about that, it made him pause and as he contemplated just what any of the sisters or all of them could do if they ever turned against the light. It was a truly horrifying thought, but Leo seemed to have built up a good relationship with the sisters, especially Piper. He couldn't help but smirk when he thought about Leo and Piper. Those two had broken nearly ever law there was governing the actions between a Whitelighter and their charge. Not that he cared about that, he was not exactly what the Elders had hoped for. But then so far he was still in training with Leo, but he had helped Leo with his duties as best he could and sometimes he had disobeyed orders. But he had proven that he had what it took to be a Whitelighter, he had taken onboard all the lessons Leo had taught him, especially where it concerned magic.

Even if he still couldn't believe that Leo had him run through a humid jungle to build up his endurance for a first lesson. Damn...who had guessed that a Whitelighter who originally died in the Second World War was such a Star Wars geek? It was those lessons about magic he had focused on the most, because he knew if he didn't then he would fail when he was eventually gifted with a charge. He now knew far more about magic than he had ever expected to know. Hopefully when the time came it would be put to good use. Looking around he went to find Leo and found out why he had been called. He walked into the living room to find Leo and Piper in a romantic clinch while Phoebe and Prue looked on. He kept quiet, knowing that they had all been through a rather tense few days thanks to Prue's astral self going a little wild and disrupting Piper's and Leo's long attempted wedding. Even with that all behind them and been granted the Elder's permission to marry, the stress for it all had clearly gotten to Piper and she needed Leo to be around a little more.

Prue took note of his appearance and gave him a sign to just wait; clearly he was missing something if her warning was any anything to go by. Finally Leo pulled away from Piper who let out a sigh as she went and collapsed next to Phoebe on the couch. Leo took note he had arrived and moved to greet him.

"Good timing Xander," Leo said with a smile. "I have important news for you," he told him.

"Oh, I wasn't told anything when I was just upstairs," Xander responded as he allowed Leo to lead him to the other couch.

"The Elders wanted me to give you the news as I'm your teacher," Leo shot back. "It is my pleasure to tell you that you have finished your training and have been granted the rank of a full Whitelighter," Leo explained much to his surprise. "And there is more," he added, unsure how Xander would take this. He also wondered if the Elders had made the right call in where to send Xander.

"Well don't keep me in suspense Leo," Xander told him. "What else is going on?" he inquired.

"You've also have been granted a charge, and before you say it I know it is unusual for a newly minted Whitelighter to be given a charge, but they feel your experience will give you an edge concerning where you will be sent," Leo answered as he ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"And just where am I been sent?" Xander asked, not picking up on his friend's nervousness.

"Xander you are been sent back to the Hellmouth," Leo stated. "Your old friends have a new member, a natural born witch of some power named Tara Maclay," he went on. "She is new to Sunnydale, but her presence there is problematic. The Hellmouth has a bad effect on Whitelighters however you were born there and it may give you somewhat of an immunity to its effects," he explained. "That is the main reasons they have chosen to make her your charge. The other is of course your past relationship with Buffy Summers and her group," he added. "Having a Whitelighter in their group will be hard for them to trust, given they know nothing about us, but maybe an old friend will again be in your advantage," he finished.

Xander was stunned to say the least, not once since choosing to become a Whitelighter had he ever thought the Elders would send him back to the Hellmouth. This went against all the rules as they had been laid down, a Whitelighter was supposed to put his past life behind him. But he could see what Leo was saying, he was the perfect candidate for this job. Still facing Willow and the others again was not going to be easy, especially Buffy as he still had some hold ups where she was concerned. Had it not been for her running away after Angelus was destroyed then maybe he would not have been turned, then again he and the others made a conscious choice to try and pick up the fight after she left so maybe the blame lay with both of them.

"Are you going to be okay with this?" Leo asked after giving his friend some time to think things through. "This will not be an easy assignment especially if you are not as immune to the Hellmouth as we hope you will be," he admitted. He had had quite an argument with the Elders about this, but they were adamant that Alexander was the only one who could be young Tara's Whitelighter.

"When do I leave?" Xander asked as he finally sank into the couch.

"Tomorrow morning," Leo answered. "I will be going with you for the initial meeting, again due to the circumstances of you being chosen for this they feel lying to them about what you are would be a big mistake," he told him. "So your status and job will be made clear to them, granted some things will be held back, but for the most part I suppose you could say we will be forming an alliance with your friends," he stated.

Xander nodded in understanding, part of him was sad to be going as the mansion had begun to feel like home and yet now that the idea had sunk it that he would see Willow and Giles and maybe even Cordelia again filled him with joy. He could do this, he was sure of it.

"I won't let you down Leo," Xander finally said.

"I know you won't, but be careful as the Hellmouth might affect your powers, as well as your mind," Leo cautioned him. "The last Whitelighter to be there for any amount of time went insane, we had to stop him permeantly before he did something that could have had lasting repercussions for us all," he admitted, not caring that the Elders had told him not to tell Xander or the sisters about that.

Prue, Piper and Phoebe had all come to like Xander and they considered him a friend, he doubted any of them would be happy if he went insane due to his new job. Phoebe especially would be upset. The two of them had become fast friends due to their similar personalities. Both loved a good joke and had a rather care free attitude, even given the lives they lived. At one time he had felt maybe there was more to their relationship, but then Cole Turner had shown up and it was clear he had swept Phoebe off her feet. However he would have preferred it if Xander had been the one to gain Phoebe's interest, there was something about Cole he just didn't like, but he could not put his finger on it.

"How dangerous is this job going to be for him Leo?" Phoebe finally inquired. "I mean I get he risks going insane there, but exactly what will he be facing?" she inquired.

"Exactly what I used to be facing when I was only human," Xander was the one who answered with a sarcastic smile. "Vampires, demons and any insane or idiotic warlock who comes along and is stupid enough to want to open the Hellmouth," he told them. "That I can handle no problem, getting Buffy to not attempt to stake me when I first show up will be the challenge," he added with another sarcastic smile.

"If she tries it with you Xander then just orb out of the way and then give her a good swift kick up her ass," Prue shot back with a grin. "That should clear things up," she added.

"Or you could have Leo explain the truth so things do not get out of hand," Piper cut in. It was clear to Xander by her tone of voice she was in no mood for any messing around, especially not concerning such an important matter.

"I think Piper is correct, kicking Buffy in the ass, however satisfying it might be for a short while, would only makes things harder in the long run," Xander admitted with a sigh. "I guess I should turn in then, tomorrow will probably be a very long day," he stated before he got up and orbed out.

"Leo, he will be okay won't he?" Phoebe asked quietly as she watched Xander leave.

"I think so once everything is settled between him and his old friends," Leo answered, hoping to reassure them.

"What is his charge like?" Prue inquired as she joined her sisters on the couch.

"Tara is an amazing young woman. Very quiet and a little shy, but she has a brilliant mind and is quick to learn things," Leo responded with a smile. "I think she and Xander will get along very well," he assured them as they all settled in for a quite night. Piper quickly moved to his side and comfortably settled against him.

+CR+

(Sunnydale, the next morning)

With two sparkles of light Xander and Leo appeared in a small side street near their destination. While Xander felt as always Leo's face went a bit white and he staggered a bit. He took a deep breath and then stood as sure as Xander, "Damn...the..." Leo started to say but was interrupted by Xander.

"Don't say it," Xander demanded.

"What?" Leo asked a bit confused.

"Just don't say it ok," Xander replied.

Leo shrugged. "I don't have clue what you're talking about."

"Just don't say the dark side is strong around here or something like that," Xander said in a complaining tone. "I know you want to."

With a smirk Leo replied, "I wouldn't have, but now that you mentioned it..."

To that Xander just groaned.

Leo smiled and with a bit of sadness he thought, 'I'll miss having him around. Joking around with him is always fun.' Aloud he said, "But the Hellmouth really had a hard punch and I won't be too sad if I can leave it quite soon. How do you feel?"

"Normal, I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary," Xander replied.

"Good, so it sees the Elders hopes were right," Leo said and the point over the street. "There we will find your friend Mr. Giles."

Xander looked up and saw the Magic Box he had often seen before, but never was in. "From High school librarian to clerk in a Magic shop...," he said with a smile.

Without another word both men went over the street and then entered the shop. As they looked around both had to smile as they both saw a lot of stuff a tourist would hope to find in a magic shop, but if you really knew the trade you also saw a lot of stuff a real Wicca could use. Behind the counter they saw Giles who just was ringing up several items a young blond woman had selected.

Xander eyed the woman a bit an enjoyed the view, to which Leo could only smile amused. They waited until the woman left with her bag then Xander said loudly, "Hey G-Man...How are you doing?"

Giles started to say, "Xander... how often do I have to tell you not to...," there he broke up, looked up in shock and then said, "XANDER...but... but you're dead."

Xander shrugged and in a calm voice replied, "I got better."

"And you mock me if I quote Star Wars," Leo said with a grin.

"What? I always wanted to say that," Xander said in a mock hurt tone.

Giles just stared as the young man, he believed to be dead and the stranger mocked each other a bit. "How?" he then asked. "Willow has told us how you visited her and then died in the first light of dawn. How are you alive?"

"That Giles...is a really long story," Xander said.

"He got chosen as a Whitelighter," Leo said with a smile.

As Giles eyes widened in surprise Xander added while he glared at Leo, "Or maybe not so long."

"A Whitelighter you say? Oh my I have heard of them, but never met one so far," he said while he went to the door of his shop and changed the 'Open' shield to 'Closed'. "Let me guess, you are here because of Willow," Giles then continued.

"Not exactly," Xander said. "By the way...Leo this is Rupert "Ripper" Giles, Watcher of the current slayer. Giles this is Leo "The Geek" Wyatt, Whitelighter to the Charmed Ones."

Both men glared at Xander at the way he introduced them, but then Giles looked up. "The Charmed Ones? The Halliwell sisters are active?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

Just as surprised Leo and Xander looked at him and Leo asked, "You know them?"

"I met their grandmother once several years ago, but as you said...that's a long story," Giles replied with a smirk of his own. "So if you aren't here for Willow, why? As far as I know Whitelighter normally don't come to the Hellmouth."

"And now I know why. My head feels like someone is using it as a drum," Leo complained.

"You are just getting old Leo," Xander said smiling. "And to answer your question Giles, I'm here for Tara Maclay. Unlike Willow she is a natural born witch and I was just assigned to her, but that doesn't mean I won't be able to keep an eye on Willow as well. So how is everybody doing since I left?"

And so the three spent the next two hours with some coffee and tea while first Giles told them what happened since Xander's 'death' and after that Xander told him a bit about what happened after he turned to dust.

While Xander was in the middle of telling a bit about his training with Leo they heard the door to the shop open and then the sound of a surprised gasp and then a voice asked in surprise. "Xander?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Whitelighter Realm)

Around a viewing pool the Elders watched the first meeting between Alexander and Rupert Giles, as expected the watcher didn't question things too much as he knew about their kind. They were also pleased to see their suspicion that Alexander would be immune to the effects of Hellmouth had been correct. That meant he could aid Tara and the Sunnydale group as often as he liked or needed to. Leo was already feeling the effects of being on the Hellmouth, thankfully he wouldn't stay long and thus they would not have to worry about losing one of their best Whitelighters.

"Now here is his first real test," one of the Elders spoke up in an amused tone of voice.

The other Elders all took note of what their fellow Elder had seen, behind the three men the shop door opened and in stepped the recently returned Slayer Buffy Summers. They watched her come to a dead stop as she stared wide eyed at Alexander, and then they all winced as she went for the stake in her back pocket and charged.

+CR+

(Magic Box)

Xander spun in his seat as he heard Buffy's voice gasp in surprise before saying his name in shock, jumping to his feet he was almost unsurprised as she pulled a stake from her back pocket and lunged at him, even as Giles shouted at her to stand down. Having only a split second to decide what to do, he quickly orbed out of the way and reappeared behind Giles who was now on his feet as was Leo. Buffy, he noted, had spun to track his movements and was already about to charge him again, thankfully however Giles got in her way and wrestled the stake out of her hand.

"Giles, what the hell are you doing?" Buffy growled out, not understanding why her watcher was protecting the vampire pretending to be her friend.

"He is not a vampire Buffy," Giles told her with a long suffering sigh, really wishing his slayer would learn to think more before she attacked something. "I would have thought that would be obvious by now as it is still a very sunny morning today, is it not?" he pointed out.

Buffy glanced out the window and noted the sun was indeed pouring through the window, glancing back at Xander she noted he was not trying to stay out of its ways and was actually bathed in its light. He was not smoking or screaming in pain, she was somewhat confused as the last she had heard he had been a vampire, well before he had killed himself.

"Er…," she said unsure what to say. "Then would you like to explain why he is not dust right now then? Because last I heard he killed himself," Buffy finally inquired.

"Wow thanks a lot Buffy, it's nice to know you missed me," Xander shot back in surprise at her lack of happiness about his return.

Buffy paled a little as she realized she had indeed come off as being disappointed he had somehow come back, worse she had also sounded like someone who didn't care he had died in the first place. That couldn't be further from the truth, when she had got back to Sunnydale and found out the horrible fate that had befallen Xander she had been angered as well as upset. She felt largely responsible for it. If she hadn't run away then maybe she would have been there to save him when the attack happened. Willow had been inconsolable and it had taken most of the last few months to get the red head to forgive her for leaving. Gilles had been critical of her running away as well, knowing her friends would try and keep Sunnydale safe on their own without proper backup.

"I'm sorry Xander I really am," Buffy finally said. "I really didn't mean for that to come out like it did. I'm just having a hard time taking in the fact you are back and not a vampire," she admitted before she gave into a growing urge and rushed forward and hugged him.

Xander tensed for a few seconds as she came towards him again, but he quickly relaxed as she pulled him into a hug. Smiling a little he returned it and was somewhat surprised to hear Buffy sniffling into his shoulder. Clearly he had been wrong. She had missed him after all.

"I'm sorry," Buffy muttered into his shoulder and kept repeating it as her guilt at his death came back full force. "I should have been there," she finally spat.

"Easy Buffy," Xander said, doing his best to comfort her, surprised by the level of guilt she was displaying. This wiped away any remaining anger at her for running away he still had. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. We shouldn't have been out there without you anyway," he told her as he rubbed her back, hoping to help her push back the past. "We got sloppy and we paid for it, simple as that," he added. "You needed time to heal, I know that. I just wish you could have trusted us to help you heal here at home," he admitted.

Buffy nodded, wishing she too had allowed them to help her. Her Mother would have been a big help, but that was one of the things she had been running away from. Joyce now knew the truth about Buffy being the Slayer and the world she lived in, she hadn't taken it well. Even after finally coming back to Sunnydale, Buffy had many arguments with her mother over the whole thing, helped along only by Giles who had taken a lot of her mother's anger. Joyce had laid into Giles something rotten, after many arguments Joyce had finally begun to listen to what Giles was telling her. Nothing could change Buffy's fate, she was the Slayer and that was all there was to it.

As she was the Slayer that meant that all manners of supernatural things would attempt to kill her and it was her job to kill the vampires and demons and ensure the Hellmouth remained shut. The idea that she had moved her daughter to the mouth of hell had horrified Joyce in the extreme, but Giles had assured her even if she hadn't come here the vampires and demons would have found her anyway as would have the watchers council.

Finally Buffy calmed down enough to sit down as Giles went to the nearby phone to call Willow and ask her to bring Tara, Oz and Joyce to the shop. He decided whatever reason there was for Xander's return, the whole group should be here to hear it as one.

+CR+

(Whitelighter Realm)

The Elders let out a sigh of relief that things hadn't escalated after the Slayers initial reaction to Alexander's return. They had known beforehand that it was going to be a very turbulent reunion, but it was important it didn't go downhill as the saying goes. If Alexander was to take up his role as Tara's guardian then he had to be accepted by the Watcher and more importantly the Slayer, now hopefully things would run smoothly when the rest of the group turned up.

"The first test has been passed," the lead Elder remarked in a relieved tone. "The Slayer was always going to be the hardest test when Alexander returned," he stated.

"The test is not over just yet Supreme Elder," another of the Elders pointed out. "Soon his other friends will arrive, more to the point so will his best friend Willow Rosenberg," he reminded them all. "That will be I think a greater test," he stated confidently.

"I agree and in more ways than one," said a third Elder with a troubled expression on his face.

"You are concerned," the supreme Elder took note of his fellow Elder's expression. "Speak, what troubles you about Alexander's meeting with Rosenberg?" he commanded.

"As we all know the red head has begun to learn magic mostly on her own merit as the Watcher has been too occupied with locating his missing Slayer. Even now that she has returned on her own he has failed to keep an eye on how the red head is progressing," the Elder explained. "He knows how dangerous self-learning can be for a witch or warlock, his own past is well known to us all and he should be concerned with the fact the red head is self-teaching herself a dangerous art. However my main concern is how she will take the news her best friend has been returned to be the guardian not of her, but of her new friend Tara and that she and she alone will then be guided in her learning's," he finished.

Silence met his explanation as the Elders digested what he told them. He could tell his point had been received as a few of his fellow Elders now had similar troubled expressions on their faces. Even the Supreme Elder now looked troubled as he thought over everything that had been said, knowing the red head and her way of thinking it was indeed a possibility she wouldn't take kindly to Tara being given what she would consider special treatment.

"Rosenberg believes herself to be a strong witch and capable of doing things beyond her strength and skill," the youngest member of the Elders warned. "She has pushed herself beyond her limits before like when she did as she attempted the soul curse during the battle with Angelus," he reminded them all. "Had we not intervened she would have been lost then and there," he went on.

"You make good points both of you," the Supreme Elder agreed, unable to deny what had been said by either of his fellow Elders. Rosenberg was proving to be a worrisome problem that had the potential to become worse. "Alexander has stated he intends to keep an eye on her, however he cannot be her guardian as he will be for Tara and there is no telling whether Rosenberg would accept true guidance from Alexander as it is," he speculated with a shake of his head. "I will give this matter my full attention, for now we must hope Rosenberg can control herself," he said.

The other Elders nodded their heads in agreement knowing there was little they could do right now. Rosenberg wasn't a natural born witch and thus did not fall under their domain to deal with. She was outside their influence or control, she was the concern of the Powers that Be and hopefully they would keep a close eye on her. However the Powers ran a rather loose ship in the eyes of the Elders, they had a long history of ignoring certain things that led to trouble later on. They just hoped this would not be one of those mistakes. Rosenberg had the potential to be big trouble if she ever turned against them. Turning back to the matter at hand they all turned back to the viewing pool. Finally the rest of the group it seems had arrived.

+CR+

(Magic Box)

Xander tensed a little as he sensed his charge coming towards the shop. This at least gave him advance warning that Willow and the others were almost here. Hopefully this meeting would be far less charged than the reunion he had with Buffy, although considering Willow had watched him die that was asking for a lot. He had no idea of the emotional impact that event had on his red headed friend's psyche, seeing him alive again in a sense could be too much for her to take. He turned towards the door just as it opened and Oz stepped in followed by Joyce, both came to a dead stop as they laid eyes on him. Willow entered at the same time as the only person he didn't know personally and guessed to be his charge. They were both in the middle of a deep discussion and thus hadn't noticed how Oz and Joyce had frozen in place, well at least not until they ran right into them.

"Hey what's the big idea stopping in the doorway?" Willow complained still having not looked into the shop.

"Willow," Xander said softly to gain her attention as Buffy, Giles and Leo looked on in concern on how this reunion would go.

Willow froze as she heard a voice she knew as well as she knew her own. It was a voice she had been certain she would never hear again. She had watched as he burned in the early rays of the morning sun and now she heard it like a whisper on the wind. Hundreds of emotions and thoughts ran through her as she tried to understand how this was possible, slowly she turned in the direction of the main table and noted sitting there were Giles, Buffy, an unknown person and Xander which wasn't possible. She began to tremble as she took in his features. No... this had to be a nightmare as it was the only explanation for his presence in the shop.

"No, this can't be," she stuttered as Tara looked back and forth between Willow and the person she knew to be their deceased friend Alexander Harris.

Tara had been told all about their previous adventures after being welcomed into the group a few weeks ago after she and Willow had become friends, this had been around the time both had found out they were both witches during a fight with the Gentlemen, which had come to Sunnydale to steal everyone's voices as well as their organs. From that point on she had gotten more and more involved in the group's efforts to protect the Hellmouth and to ensure it stayed closed.

"This is a trick, it has to be," Willow continued to mutter as her eyes stayed pinned to where Xander now stood with his arms extended wide in a gesture meant to say he meant her no harm.

"Easy Willow it is me, no trick," Xander said, gently knowing he had to be careful what he said. "I am not a vampire anymore, I swear," he continued.

"Willow said you burned up in the sun," Joyce stated as she pulled both Tara and Willow into the shop and then closed and locked the door so no one could interrupt them. "How is it possible you are now alive, and no longer a vampire?" she demanded to know, wary of this being some sort of demonic trap.

It had taken Joyce a long time to get used to the world she now lived in and that her daughter was the Slayer as well as the fact it was her duty to protect the Hellmouth alongside her friends. A duty that had already cost the group much, but the death of Xander had been to her mind the most costly. The effects it had on the group were great. Willow was far more sombre now as was Buffy if she was honest. Still they had begun to put his death behind them, thus his apparent return, if it was really him was a two edged sword.

"I believe I can answer that," Leo said, having been waiting for an opening. "My name is Leo Wyatt and I'm a Whitelighter," he introduced himself as well as stating his occupation. As he expected only Tara seemed to recognize the title as her eyes widened in surprise.

"What is a Whitelighter?" Oz inquired as he helped Willow into a chair at the table as she seemed to be still in shock.

"A Whitelighter is a guardian spirit for a natural born witch," Giles answered, hoping to help explain all this to the group without it erupting into violence or an argument. "We don't know exactly how they are chosen or where they come from, but the Watchers have heard of them and even encountered one or two in the past," he explained.

"What do you mean they are guardians for witches?" Willow asked as she finally managed to shake of the shock of seeing Xander back from the dead and actually focus on the conversation at hand.

"Not for witches in general, only for natural born witches," Leo corrected her. "It has always been the Elders duty to select who will be a Whitelighter and who they will be assigned to. It is vital that they are guided on the right path so they don't fall to darkness. If the Whitelighters wouldn't exist then it is possible the world would already belong to the demons," he stated as he ran a hand through his hair. "Witches are a valuable asset in the war we fight, they are one of the strongest defenders we have alongside the Slayer and others," he told them.

"How does Xander fit into all this?" Joyce demanded to know.

"Xander's choice to sacrifice himself to ensure he didn't harm his friends caught the attention of the Elders as did his refusal to allow his friend to attempt the soul curse as he knew that curse was unreliable. His choice at that moment alongside many of his actions in helping to guard the Hellmouth impressed them and thus they offered him the chance to become a Whitelighter," Leo explained. "He accepted and has been in training for the last two years," he added.

"Why weren't we told?" Buffy asked with a frown.

"Usually when one becomes a Whitelighter they cut all ties to their former lives. We didn't expect any reason for Xander to come back here, at least not until Tara came here and became a part of your group," Leo answered calmly as they reached the crux of the issue.

"Why Tara?" Joyce asked in concern as Tara ducked her head as she became to the focus of the group.

"Tara is a natural born witch who so far hasn't been assigned a Whitelighter, this was been discussed when she moved to the Hellmouth, a place no Whitelighter can go for any real length of time," Leo again answered. "Xander however was born on the Hellmouth and thus it was believed he might be immune to the effects the Hellmouth has on us. We believe we were correct as when we arrived I immediately felt the effects and Xander didn't," he explained. "Hence he was assigned to be Tara's Whitelighter. He will help guide her and keep her on the right track as she continues to learn her craft," he went on. "He has also been granted leave to aide you when needed, either for information or to heal any of you who needs it, which is a Whitelighters primary gift," he told them.

"So this is not a onetime thing, Xander will be staying?" Oz asked for clarification as he took in everything that has been said while keeping an eye on Willow.

"Yes Xander will be staying," Leo responded.

Tara stayed silent as she finally realized exactly what this meant. Her mother had a Whitelighter for most of her life and often spoke of the great help she had been to her. But seen as she hadn't been assigned one when she was young, she had taken it to mean she was not worthy of that honor. Now she guessed she had been wrong, maybe you had to reach a certain age before you were assigned a guardian. The fact her guardian was to be the fallen friend of her new friends was shocking. She hadn't realized her moving to the Hellmouth would have such consequences for the group at large. Although it seemed they were at least not bad consequences as far as she could see. She glanced to where Willow sat and tried to read her expression, but she couldn't tell what the red head was thinking.

+C+

Willow looked around a bit in disbelief. She had listened to what Leo had told the group and she was shocked by it. She was relieved that Xander had gotten that choice, but what enraged her was that he let her believe for over two years that he was dead and now that he had come back it wasn't for her, but for someone he didn't even know. She took a deep breath and then looked at Tara for a moment, who looked at her as well at that moment.

She forced a smile on her face, but everyone looking closely could have seen that it didn't reach her eyes. "So if Tara here got Xander assigned to her as a Whitelighter, how did it come that I haven't got one?" she asked in the direction of Leo. "After all I'm a really powerful witch these days. I learned a lot since I did the soul curse on Angelus."

Giles blanched a bit at hearing the last part, realizing his error that he never guided Willow in her learning of witchcraft. Before he could say anything Leo replied, "Sorry Willow, as I explained only natural born witches get a Whitelighter as a guardian. Tara is one and so she got one assigned to her, but you Willow are a normal human who learned witchcraft and so you don't fall into the purview of the Elders, but of the Power that be who are also responsible for the Slayer line."

Willow jumped up and yelled loudly, "I can't believe that, so how come that these Powers never helped me and why am I not good enough for your Elders?"

Willow wanted to yell more, but was interrupted by Leo. "Stop right there Miss. As I said you fall outside of the Elders jurisdiction and I can't speak for the Powers. Actually the Elders already did more for you than they should have."

Willow looked at him and said in an angered tone. "What? What did they ever do for me? Nothing I say."

Leo shook his head, placed his hands on Willow's shoulders, which had the effect to calm her done quite a bit. "They saved your live Willow. You remember that soul curse you spoke about? Didn't you never ask yourself how someone who had nearly no experience with witchcraft could cast one of the blackest spells in existence? The Elders channeled the powers you called for you. If they would not have done that we wouldn't be speaking right now, because you would be a burned out shell with nothing left in your mind."

Willow stumbled back from Leo and stared a bit in horror at him. She mumbled a quiet "No" and then nearly crumbled on to her chair, breaking out in shocked tears. She felt a pair of arms engulf her from behind. "Shhss," the calm voice of Xander said. "I may be sent here by the Elders to be Tara's Whitelighter, but that doesn't mean I can't help you as well. Technically I'm only allowed to help Tara learn witchcraft, but who am I to refuse if my charge invites you to learn with her?" he whispered to her. "And you can believe me that I tried to contact you, sadly the Elders have a lot of experience with that and blocked all my attempts."

Willow's tears dried after hearing what Xander told her and now even smiled a little bit. Xander slowly let go of her and waved Oz over to takeover and give Willow some comfort.

Now Xander finally could turn to Tara. He walked the few steps over to her, bowed and said with a smile, "Hello Tara. I'm Xander Harris, your Whitelighter at your service."

+C+

(L.A., Office of Angel Investigations)

Gunn looked up as he heard the painful moan from Cordelia which normally meant she had a vision. He quickly filled a glass with water and went over to her and then waited until the vision was over. As her gaze cleared again he holds the water out to her and waited.

Cordelia took the glass of water with a thankful nod and took a sip from it. Then she looked up to Gunn and asked, "Where is Angel?"

"He is out on a case with Wesley as you know," he replied.

"Damn," Cordelia cursed. "Go get your car. We have to go to Sunnydale at once."

"Sunnydale? Why?" Gunn asked confused.

"I have to slap someone hard who should was supposed to be dead for over two years and then save him from being killed by a guy dressed in a black suit armed with a crossbow," she replied as she stormed out to where Gunn's car was parked much to his confusion but he quickly followed his friend.


End file.
